Val, Ainsley and I spent a weekend recently at New Brighton State Beach in Aptos, near Santa Cruz. It’s close to home and originally intended to shake out the trailer at the beginning of the year. I made the reservations six months in advance, since it’s a popular spot. At the time, I figured “so what if it’s raining?” Of course–as you can see–we hit the weather jackpot: mid-‘60s and the beach mostly to ourselves. What a nice surprise, and an even nicer weekend.